New Year’s Eve Rock Guide: From Gaga in Miami to Mayer in Vegas
New Year’s Eve is traditionally one of the biggest nights on the live concert circuit as countless artists rock out with fans when the ball drops. This year is no exception, with Phish reviving an old NYE tradition in Miami where Lady Gaga will also perform, Mariah Carey taking over Madison Square Garden, John Mayer and Maroon 5 playing separate Sin City venues and the Flaming Lips performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in Oklahoma City (RS will will have a full report from the Lips’ super-gig — stay tuned!). Factor in all the all-star New Year’s Eve specials on TV and December 31st is giving the Grammys a run for the title of music’s most star-studded night.
Here’s a guide to the biggest and best shows throughout the nation, from New York to Miami to Los Angeles and all spots in between:
New York
Mariah Carey @ Madison Square Garden
Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom
Q-Tip and Dam-Funk @ Brooklyn Bowl
Disco Biscuits @ Nokia Theatre
MSTRKRFT @ Webster Hall
Courtney Love @ Standard Hotel’s Boom Boom Room
Chuck Berry @ B.B. King’s
Detroit Cobras, Titus Andronicus @ Mercury Lounge
Soullive @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fischerspooner @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Dean & Britta @ Southpaw
Gov’t Mule @ Beacon Theatre
Passion Pit @ Piano’s
Miami
Phish @ American Airlines Arena (also December 28, 29, 30)
Lady Gaga @ James L Knight Center
The B-52’s @ Hard Rock Live
Los Angeles
Adam Lambert @ Gridlock New Year’s Eve Bash, Paramount Pictures Studio
Chromeo, Peanut Butter Wolf @ Club Nokia
Erykah Badu @ House of Blues
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
DJ Quik, Bizzy Bone @ Key Club
Flogging Molly @ The Wiltern
Chicago
The Black Keys @ Riviera Theatre
Girl Talk @ Congress Theater
Gin Blossoms @ Montrose Room
Big Head Todd & The Monsters @ House of Blues
Supersuckers @ Reggie’s Music Joint
Umphrey’s McGee @ Aragon Ballroom
Crystal Castles @ Logan Square
Philadelphia
Mos Def @ Trocadero
Mighty Diamonds @ North Star
San Francisco
Furthur @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
The Roots @ The Warfield
Ozomatli, Bassnectar, Ghostland Observatory @ Concourse Exhibition Center
Les Claypool @ The Fillmore
Darlene Love @ The Rraz Room
Las Vegas
John Mayer Trio, Meyer Hawthorne @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Maroon 5, Jason Segel @ Pearl Concert Theatre at the Palms
Merle Haggard @ Star of the Desert Arena
Atlantic City, NJ
Jimmy Eat World @ Harrah’s
O.A.R. @ House of Blues
David Grey @ Caesars
Oklahoma City Flaming Lips, Stardeath and White Dwarfs @ Cox Convention Center
Milwaukee
Spoon, Jay Reatard @ Riverside
Atlanta
Band of Horses @ The Tabernacle
Widespread Panic @ Philips Arena
Kansas City
Parliament/Funkadelic @ KCI Expo Center
New Orleans
Better Than Ezra @ House of Blues
Galactic @ Tipitinas
Seattle
Cake @ The Moore Theatre
Minus the Bear @ Showbox
Washington DC
Third Eye Blind @ Grand Hyatt
Anthony Hamilton @ Zanzibar
Cleveland
Buddy Guy @ House of Blues
Twiztid @ Peabody’s Downunder
Baltimore
Dark Star Orchestra @ Ram’s Head Live
Little Feat @ Recher Theater
Lincoln, Rhode Island
Gregg Allman @ Twin River Event Center
Detroit
Goo Goo Dolls @ Sound Board
Von Bondies @ Hyatt Regency
Denver
Sound Tribe Section 9 @ Wells Fargo Theater
Yonder Mountain String Band @ Fillmore
Biloxi, MS
Flo Rida @ IP Casino and Resort